Happy Holidays, Lots of New Stuff!

• Leather Hard - Clay which has dried sufficiently to be stiff, but is still damp enough to be joined to other pieces.
• Bone Dry - Clay that is completely dried but not yet fired.  Clay forms are most fragile at this stage.

       If the clay is bone dry and you try to trim it, you will have to apply more pressure to cut in. Pushing against so much might cause it to fly off wheel, and you could lose your piece. This would also dull the tools. It would be impossible to score and slip anything to clay that is bone dry because  you can't scratch the surface.

       If the piece is too soft when you try to trim it, the tools will cut into it, and the centrifugal motion might deform the entire piece.

    I still have to finish the coil pot, and add a little bit more to the top of it.

Glazing Part 2

     I used the Oasis and the Seaspray glazes on my pinch pot last month. I poured the Seaspray on my entire piece first, and after putting wax resist on the parts I wanted just Seaspray colored, I poured Oasis on the entire piece again. After the glaze came out I noticed there were some problems with dripping. This could have been because the kiln did not heat and cool properly, but I also think I should have left more wax room at the bottom in case of an accident. The dripped glaze formed into sharp shards on the bottom of my piece, but it could have also ruined somebody else's. Hopefully, we'll get the kiln fixed, or just fire our pieces in another one next time.

First Days on the Wheel

      Overall, I worked around nine days on the wheel. By that time, I feel like I had gotten the hang of most of the things, however, I remember having a lot of trouble bringing the clay up in the beginning. I always either pulled at the top too much and ripped the clay off of the wheel, or was way too shy and did nothing but dry the clay with my hands. After managing to build it up, it would spin out of control as I squashed it down with sheer force instead of letting the wheel's turns do the job for me. I also remember having trouble with the water. It took me quite a while to figure out how wet the clay should be so I could control it best. Most of the clay would end up as slip by the time I was done.
     In the end, I was really proud of my cylinder. So many days of work went into it and it was great to finally understand what I was doing. I really enjoyed working on the wheel, and it feels really strange now to be working with drier clay and just my hands. Plus, now I have some cute little bowls and dishes to look forward to glazing and taking home.

Glazing

      Before glazing a piece, you have to wash your hands and wipe off the bique ware so that the glaze sticks to the piece and not the dust around it. Any grain of dust could make the glaze look grainy, and the oils of your hand could make the glaze slip off. You always have to apply wax resist to the bottom of your piece so that if the glaze drips within the fireing process it does not stick and mess up the pieces around it. 

      When using a bucket glaze, you must keep the pot in contact with the glaze for one or two seconds only. If you try to brush on a bucket glaze, it is unlikely that you will manage to get all of the layers of the glaze on the piece. Some components of the glaze may be separated (like oil and water) and you not be able to get the heavier components at the bottom of the bucket. 

Where I Am Now

       My pinch pot has changed a lot from how I originally envisioned it. In the beginning I really had no clue what i was making, and now I'm proud of how it turned out. I used to laugh at my work because it looked like an old fashioned milk jug, and now it looks like a respectable vase. I was able to keep good control of the clay, I think, but it didn't always do exactly what I wanted. Once I started using specific tools for smoothing it and shaping the outside, the clay responded better. Since the neck ended up so much thinner than I first intended, I had to work on shaping my vase solely from the outside. The angle that sloped down from the neck was the hardest to shape from the outside.

    I was really nervous about the line design, and the pattern turned out completely different from what I first envisioned. I wanted something with curls and spirals, but quickly changed my mind when I attempted those on the extra clay. There was also supposed to be four "petals" around the pot, but I realized it looked too crowded and left it at three.

    I believe I am done with this vase for now. I'm going to leave it to dry, think of glaze colors, and move on to the coil project.

Pinch Pot: Flower Vase

The "slip and score" is a technique used when connecting two pieces of clay. I will have to use this technique to pt together the top, curvy part of my vase to the base I made on the first day of the project. First, I'll score the clay, scratching up the rim of the base and top that I want to connect together. Then, I'll wet my finger and pass the water over the scored surface. The water will serve like a glue of sorts, while the scored surfaces are kind of like a jigsaw puzzle fitting together snugly. This way, the piece won't crack, and it will be much sturdier and harder to take apart.

To show symmetry in this piece I make sure to apply pressure on all sides of the piece evenly. At one point, the curvy part at the top of the vase curved more sharply on one end. I'm trying to use both of my hands when shaping the outside. The outside also has to be smooth, so I fix each accidental scratch right after I make it, or as soon as I notice it. The symmetry will be more evident once the clay has been fired and I can start painting. Until that time, I will keep working on it... Stay tuned, Gleeson :)